Arguably, you can blame Ryan Reynolds and maybe Sammy Hagar. Those two celebrities showed that unrelated fame could help launch a beverage brand.
In Hagar’s case, at least his music and image ties him logically to his tequila brand, while in Reynolds’ case, he turned Aviation Gin into a massive hit simply by being charming. That created a model for celebrity beverages, and dozens of them have followed.
Kristin Cavallari may not be as famous as Hagar or Reynolds, but the reality star has leveraged her television fame into influencer territory. Now, she’s taking her influence and using it launch a new functional beverage line, Fizzen, exclusively at Target.
Target welcomes Cavallari protein-packed soda
If you don’t know Cavallari, she became a breakout star on MTV’s “Laguna Beach” and its sequel “The Hills.”
“While other efforts to establish herself as a TV host and actress fizzled, she became a best-selling author with the publication of ‘Balancing in Heels’ and ‘True Roots,’ and launched successful shoe and jewelry lines. In 2018, she began starring in her new E! reality series ‘Very Cavallari,’ which focuses on her business interests and family life,” according to Biography.com.
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Her latest venture, Fizzen, is an attempt to enter the functional beverage space.
“Consumers are increasingly prioritizing their health and wellness, driving the demand for healthier functional beverages that offer benefits like improved mood, digestion, and energy,” Mitch Madoff, head of retail partnerships at Keychain, New York told Beverage Industry.
That’s the trend Cavallari hopes to capitalize on. She’s entering a space that WWD.com described as the “gym bro” aisle.
“Available now exclusively at Target, Fizzen is Cavallari’s new canned protein beverage line cofounded with talent venture studio VO/D and infused with bovine collagen peptides, B12, vitamin C, zinc and real fruit juice,” according to WWD.
Each can has eight grams of clean protein and zero grams of sugar. The sparkling beverage comes in Fruit Punch, Strawberry Lemon, and Peach Mango four-packs.
It “works as a grab-and-go energizer without the chalky texture of pre-workout or a post-caffeine crash,” according to the company.
RTMNexus CEO Dominick Miserandino noted that the celebrity brand can help, but it’s only a foot in the door.
“Jjust because you have millions of followers on TikTok doesn’t mean your product will survive on a physical store shelf. It’s easy for a celebrity to generate an initial internet buzz and get automated nationwide placement at Target. But once that novelty wears off, a brand has to survive on real-world repeat buyers,” he said.
Protein beverages are a growing trend
The functional drinks market is already a $164 billion global category and is expected to surpass $315 billion by 2033, according to Grandview Research.
Cavallari’s launch is an intentional effort to enter a space that has been dominated by products aimed at men. She said her efforts were a plan to bring a female-founded brand into the male-dominated space, as well as offer a functional, clean alternative to all the fitness shakes out there.
“When you typically think of protein drinks, you think of adding protein powder to a smoothie, or I think people may even put protein powder in their coffee, stuff like that,” she told WWD.
Adding protein to drinks has been a growing trend in the functional beverage space. Starbucks has jumped on the trend by adding a line of ready-to-drink protein beverages to its grocery and convenience store lines along with making adding protein an in-store option.
“Our new protein beverages tap into the growing consumer demand for protein in an innovative, premium and delicious way that only Starbucks can deliver,” Tressie Lieberman, Starbucks global chief brand officer said in a press release.
The growth of Americans using GLP-1 drugs for weight loss have helped fuel the protein beverage trend.
“Roughly a third of U.S. consumers said they loved high protein in the second quarter of 2025, up from 24% three years ago, according to Datassential, which tracks restaurant menus and consumer preferences,” CNBC reported.
Fizzen not be the only beverage with added protein on Target’s shelves. A quick view of what’s for sale at my local Target shows Protein Pop, Isopure, and “Call Her Daddy” podcaster’s Alex Cooper’s line, Unwell Hydration with Protein.
When you look at overall functional beverages fighting for space in the beverage aisle, the chain also stocks Poppi, Recess Mood sparkling water, Trip, and Pepsi’s attempt to enter the space, Pepsi Prebiotic Cola.
Celebrities help brands stand out
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have a large advantage as the incumbents in the beverage space. They have access to shelf space and long-standing relationships with retailers.
Coke’s Luisa Eichman explained how the company plans out its retail placements.
“There’s really a lot of art and science behind it,” Eichman told CIO. “The space in the store is like really valuable real estate, and the efficiency and productivity of that space can make or break the store and also the manufacturer.”
For new beverage brands, celebrity backing can be the difference between landing on a retailer’s shelf or staying online.
“Companies pay millions for celebrity endorsements because they work,” according to a study from the Wharton School of Business.
The study, “How Celebrity Status and Gaze Direction in Ads Drive Visual Attention to Shape Consumer Decisions,” had one clear finding.
“People are more likely to choose products that are endorsed by a celebrity rather than a non-celebrity, and they make that choice faster,” the data showed.
A celebrity product line can help an emerging brand gain access to shelf space.
“It’s a way to borrow some equity from the celebrity — a way for stores to sell the same stuff, but with a measure of exclusivity…. Plus, everyone else is doing it. Stores reason, ‘If my competitor is doing it, I have to do it to stay in business.’ That’s why it’s more ubiquitous now,” according to Knowledge at Wharton.